If we asked our parents or grandparents what the NFL was like when they were in their teens, we would quickly find that the game has evolved quite a bit. But, that is not necessarily a good thing.
There is no denying that the game of football is inherently dangerous, and it only gets more dangerous as you progress from one level to the next.
I can say with confidence that the “Good Ole Days of Football,” when there were leather helmets, goal posts at the goal line and salaries under six figures, are long behind us.
In recent years, the NFL has made it perfectly clear that it is trying its best to protect the players and cut down on the bone-crushing hits that have ended careers.
The more recent rule changes included rules such as prohibiting helmet-to-helmet contact, late hits on the quarterback, chop blocking and more. At last Wednesday’s NFL owners’ meeting in Arizona, a running-back rule was passed, via a 31-to-1 vote, furthering the NFL’s effort to protect its players at all costs.
The new running-back rule “prevents ball carriers from initiating contact with defenders by using the crown of their helmet in the open field.”
The rule was established with the best of intentions, but will probably make the game worse as a result. For example, in order for there to be a penalty called for this infraction, it must be deemed that a player used “forcible contact.” That creates a problem: What is considered “forcible contact”?
There is no possible way to establish any form of consistency with this rule. In a game, you have multiple referees, none of whom see a play the exact same way.
In addition to that, now running backs are faced with an incredibly tough choice, similar to that of the defensive players when the helmet-to-helmet rule was first introduced in 2010. Running backs now have to ask themselves, “Do I completely change the way I have played this game since I started playing when I was little? Or, do I play as I always have, take the 15-yard penalty, and just hope I am not fined?” My assumption is that they will choose the latter. Most of these running backs have been playing football since grade school. They cannot change the way they have been playing football for years.
As you can imagine, most running backs are not happy with the recent rule change. Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte voiced his opinions last week on Twitter: “The proposed rule change for running backs might be the most absurd suggestion of a rule change I’ve ever heard of.” Another tweet read, “Wow so they really passed that rule the last time I checked football was a contact sport. I’m calling bank now to set up my lowering the boom fund.”
There is no surefire way to fix this problem. No matter how many rules are passed, someone will always have a problem with the rule. To put it simply, you cannot please everyone. That being said, the NFL might not be able to please everyone, but they need to create rules that have consistency. The new running-back rule, much like other rules in the NFL today, is anything but consistent.
Christopher Miller is a freshman studying broadcast journalism and sport management and a columnist for The Post. Is the NFL’s new rule a good idea? Email Christopher at cm001111@ohiou.edu.
